Not only is there no timetable for Marc Savard’s return to the Bruins, but there’s no timetable for when the Bruins will know the timetable.

Such is the nature of head injuries, which the Bruins have learned all too well over the last several seasons.

Obviously, Savard’s well-being is No. 1 in all of our thoughts. But there is the matter of a Bruins team that thinks it has a legitimate shot to win the Stanley Cup and several decisions have to be made about the roster, especially if they’re going to be without Savard for the long term, between now and the Feb. 28 trade deadline.

Here are some random thoughts about where the Bruins go from here:

•For now, the Bruins will stay in-house to make up for Savard’s absence while they determine how long he’s going to be out. Tyler Seguin shifted back to center last night in Los Angeles. Depending on how much head coach Claude Julien wants to juggle his lines after the team was shut out, Blake Wheeler might see some time in the middle as well. Based on the Kings game, Seguin should be back on the wing in the blink of an eye. He seemed lost out there and he’s way too soft on the puck.

Undoubtedly, Boston will consider promoting Joe Colborne or Zach Hamill, two natural centers. But Colborne has suffered through an up-and-down rookie season in the AHL, and Hamill seems in need of more seasoning. Hamill has only recently started to put up points for the P-Bruins.

Should Boston decide to devote some cap space to a call-up, a more likely scenario would be Jamie Arniel or Jordan Caron coming up. Arniel could even play center.

•Oh Glen Metropolit, if you were only still in North America. But seriously, the Bruins might decide a scrappy veteran that comes on the cheap is the best way to fill the Savard void. With Calgary’s resurgence in the Western Conference race, that probably takes them out of the seller’s category for now. Brendan Morrison might’ve been a good fit. Down in New Jersey, the Devils haven’t given up, but Adam Mair has always been a solid glue guy that can play center or wing and upholds the Bruins-type level of toughness.

•Should the Bruins and Savard decide to call it a season, Boston could use the LTIR. But remember, that doesn’t mean they can just add a player with a similar $4 million cap hit and move on. The LTIR allows a team to spend beyond the cap by a certain amount. Through factors that only CapGeek.com and lawyers can explain, next year a team that uses LTIR this season can be hit with a penalty (just like the performance bonuses that right now do not count against this season’s cap). The Bruins need to be careful not to put themselves in a tough cap position next season in pursuit of a big payday this season.

Mike Fisher, who has a limited no-trade clause he would have to waive for Boston, might be a little pricey at a cap hit of around $4.1 million. He sure would look nice in black and gold though, and not just because his wife would pretty up the family room. If he can put up 13 goals on a struggling team like Ottawa, imagine what he would do surrounded by the Bruins’ depth playing down in the lineup. But he’s signed through 2012-13, which is a heck of a commitment for a player playing a position where Boston is so deep. Basically, Fisher to Boston is a pipe dream.

I’d be similarly unrealistic about the Bruins’ chances of using the Florida Panthers as a farm team again and importing Stephen Weiss to play with his long-lost linemate Nathan Horton. Weiss carries a surprisingly friendly $3.1 million, but like Fisher is signed through 2012-13. While the Panthers might want to continue their rebuild this way, we know Florida general manager Dale Tallon strikes a hard bargain and the price would probably be too steep for another player that has never won anything.

Bottom line … the unpredictable nature of Savard’s injury has the Bruins somewhat handcuffed. But the salary cap and the parity around the league that fools many teams into thinking they’re contenders already was making it difficult for Boston to make a move. So going forward, I’d expect they’ll stay in-house for Savard’s replacement and see if the depth they boast of all the time is real or in their heads.

Matt – why only discussing centers. I like wheeler in the middle and would rather they get someone who can play the wing with grit and score a few.

The LTIR option seems the best to me. If by some miracle Savvy is ready come playoffs – add him without a penalty and deal with the situation in the OffSeason. Remember, Ryder – Stuart – Recchi – Wheels are all up at years’ end.

I would go with Fisher. Bring him in let him play in Savvys spot. If we want to win this thing, which I think we had a chance until Savard gets injuried again, we are gonna need full speed. And how about Paul Kariya? He´s unassigned so we don´t need to give anything up for him, plus a great veteran with leadership and scoring touch. I know he´s not a center but we a couple of changes and we our depth in that position he could fix it.

I’m curious why Sauve wasn’t one of the P-Bruins mentioned as a potential call up? I know that he was hurt for parts of the season. And it might be he simply isn’t ready from a physical perspective to play at the NHL level. But to me Sauve brings raw speed and the ability to handle the puck with speed that is somewhat lacking in the Bruins forwards.

The question is “How does the Bruin’s management view this team”? If they see this current roster as being close then they should (and likely will) use some of the assets (prospects and draft picks) to shore up the teams scoring. If they don’t then they will stay the coarse and continue to build. Their actions will tell us how they view the current roster.

This team has a solid defense and a goaltender who will win the Vezina. Only thing holding them back from being a true Cup contender is offensive consistency. The Savvy injury is a real blow, but I think they’re close enough that they have to go for it, cap issues be damned. If Fisher is available, make a run at him. See if the Sens will take Wheeler off our hands, throw in our #1 pick this year, and maybe another pick. We’ll still end up with the Leafs pick. Ryder and others come off the books next year and we’d be able to absorb Fisher’s contract. Philly, TB, Pitt, and Wash look to be the other true contenders in the East and all have flaws. We should be able to comete with them, just need the offense.

It might be painful to hear, but listen… If Savard is really going to be out for the long haul, then the best thing the Bruins can do is stand pat. Lets say that the best case scenario is that Savvy comes back a month from now, and probably starts back at square one in terms of finding his game again. It’ll probably take him another month or two (if we’re lucky) until he starts to look like the Marc Savard we all have come to love (and the Bruins need as their #1 center). So, best case scenario, we’re looking at about 2/3 months until we see the Bruins fully healthy up front (and thats IF we suffer no other big injuries). Going by this timeline, we’re looking at playoffs or thereabouts until this team is back to 100%. Do we really think they can last that long AND be able to keep producing in order to go deep in the postseason? It would be a storybook scenario if they were able to survive without Savvy until the playoffs and then make a run to the Cup finals, but I just don’t see it. The NHL is just too competitive this year. That being the case, and taking into consideration that they have no cap flexibility, my opinion is that it would be far too risky for the B’s to put all their chips on making a serious Cup run this season. As much as it sucks, I think that they should be patient, see how the Savvy situation shakes out, and let whatever happens happen this year. The team should continue to work its tail off, and if they find themselves successful enough without Savard come April/May, then take that ride as far as it will go. But since we have basically the core of this roster still under contract for next season, I think they should be looking towards next year as the time to make their moves. With Ryder and others coming off the books, they will have enough cash to go out and bolster the wings and possibly get themselves a solid top-4 defender. Segzy and the youngsters will have another year under their belts and be more poised to contribute consistently. Lets hope I am wrong, they somehow get Savard back 100% somewhat soon, and this team impresses all of us with their resilience and ability to win hockey games. But if I’m management, I wouldn’t count on it.

Great article Matt!!! JohhnyBruin summed it up nice too. A call-up would be nice, and work for now, but to contend for a cup they will need another piece. Lets say Savard is out for 6 weeks, that puts him back in the lineup late in the season, and he will most likely not have his A game, and the part that Savard needs his A game doesn’t come easy to him. I think short term rental type player can be found!!!!

Seguin is becoming painful to watch. Last night was just another example of how soft and lost he looks out there. Yayaya hes 18 i know, and i hope some day he is the face of the franchise but right now its just not working. Watch LA’s second goal last night and Seguin was completely caught in no mans land. Mcquaid even points to Seguin after the goal to show him where he should have been. Keeping him as a health scratch for a few games or putting him with Campbell n Thorty is a better option. Im sorry for being a realist.

Although I like the idea of calling up some rookie from Providence I don’t think that will be the answer for a team looking to win a cup. Fisher might be a pipe dream but if they really want to win he’s our man. Next year Ryder will come off the books and we don’t know if Savard will ever come back so if the Bruins seriously believe they have a chance at lord Stanley then go for it!